How Bill Wyman got his bass back

For more than 15 years, a teardrop-shaped guitar hung on the bedroom wall of New Zealand musician Nick Sceats.

Its strings had been replaced several times, there was a scratch on the back of its body and a couple of nicks on its sides, but it still sounded good.

But this was no ordinary bass. For years Sceats had heard stories from other musicians in Wellington about the guitar, but he had no idea if any were true.

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The words "Wyman Bass" adorned its head. Guitar manufacturer Vox made a few hundred of the bass guitars in the 1960s and the story went that one had been endorsed by Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman.

Legend had it that the guitar had been stolen from Wyman when the Stones played in Wellington in 1966. Now, after some investigative work, a stunned Sceats has discovered the truth. Last week, a letter from Wyman confirmed the guitar really did belong to the millionaire rock musician. "I was so delighted to read your email regarding my long-lost, but not forgotten, Vox bass guitar," Wyman wrote.

"I just couldn't believe it had turned up and that you were trying to make contact to return it to me - my profound thanks to you."

With the guitar's history confirmed, it could be of considerable value. But Sceats air-freighted the bass back to Wyman on Thursday. He expects nothing in return.

"I'm just kind of doing the right thing in closing the loop," he said. "I don't see why he should pay for something that was stolen from him."

The guitar's previous owner, Shane Tibby, a member of the Wellington band The Bluetts along with Sceats, gave the instrument in lieu of cash to Sceats who was owed $NZ400 for a recording session in the 1980s.

Tibby had acquired it from a flatmate who owed him money. Tibby knew nothing of its history until he walked into a practice room and a drummer for The Bluetts, Tim Robinson, recognised it, saying: "Ah, you've got the Wyman bass then."

It had apparently changed hands several times when its owners were short of cash.

Most of the time it stayed in Wellington, but one story says it spent a brief interlude in Rotorua.

Sceats said: "I wondered, 'Is this really Bill Wyman's bass?' How do you get a hold of Bill Wyman?"

Sceats eventually discovered a Bill Wyman fan club on the internet and was able to contact the man himself.

The fact that Wyman could remember the bass did not surprise him. Wyman kept detailed diaries and is meticulous about dates.